Men's Tennis Releases
MOUNT VERNON — First-year head coach Patrick Cote leads the Cornell men’s tennis team into the 2008 season opener Saturday, Feb. 2 with a double dual at Pella, hosted by Central. The Rams face Iowa Conference foe Central at 8 a.m. and play Graceland at 12 p.m.The Rams bring back all six players who earned varsity letters last season, led by team Most Valuable Player in sophomore Jay Welvaert (Moline, Ill./Moline). Welvaert finished 4-10 at No. 1 singles a year ago and teamed with Seth Henson (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs South) to post a 6-6 mark in doubles.
Henson, a three-year letterwinner, is the lone senior on the 11-man squad. Other returning starters are junior Courtland Olson (Afton, Minn./Woodbury) and sophomores Brandon Wolff (Keokuk/Keokuk), Ryan Walden (Edina, Minn./Edina) and John Mineck (Cedar Rapids/Kennedy). The Rams welcome five newcomers in junior Bryan Henderson (Coleraine, North Ireland/Coleraine) and freshmen Corey Dieser (Albert Lea, Minn./Albert Lea), Edward Enberg (La Jolla, Calif./The Bishops), Joshua Berger (Marietta, Ga./Tallulah Falls) and Jacob Rosenberg (Ames/Ames).
Cote said Welvaert has locked down the No. 1 spot in the lineup and noted that several players are in the mix for the remaining five positions.
The Rams finished 2-12 overall last spring and placed eighth in the IIAC with a 1-5 record.
“My goal is to be .500 this season, knowing the team did not having any recruiting,” said Cote, who took over the men’s and women’s programs in August. “It will take some work. We need to stay healthy and play to the level that we are capable.
“I have high goals for this program. Next year I’d like to compete in the top three in the conference. In a couple years, I’d like us to be competitive nationally.”
The Rams expanded their schedule to 23 duals this season. Cornell is on the road for its first eight matches before hosting Milwaukee School of Engineering March 9. The IIAC Championships are set for April 24-26 in Cedar Rapids.
